An ITIL Certificate is a certification that verifies a person’s expertise and comprehension of the ITIL Framework. An ITIL Certification also demonstrates proficiency in adopting and utilising IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices to enable successful service delivery within an organisation.
Because new and updated books and reference materials are issued every four years, an ITIL Certification must be renewed every four years. ITIL 4th edition will be accessible in 2022, and all certifications issued before that date will be invalid (according to its terms and conditions).
Certification holders who do not have a current certification must retake the ITIL Foundation test to be current, since it is a requirement of the certificates’ Terms and Conditions. This post will discuss why an ITIL Certification should be updated and how it may affect you as a Certification holder.
ITIL Foundation:
The ITIL Foundation certification validates your knowledge and grasp of important concepts and terminology in IT service management. This certification must be renewed every four years, and you may register and take the test at any time throughout the year. This is the only certification that does not have an expiration date. However, once the ITIL 4th edition is ready in 2022, you will need to enrol and retake the test.
Certification Cycle:
A new version of ITIL is released every four years. ITIL 2011 (v3) was the most recent release; it has since been superseded by version 5 (a more agile and service-oriented approach), which was published in 2017. If you are studying for or planning to take an ITIL certification, I urge that you wait for the official release of version 5 to verify that your certification is legitimate.
ITIL V3 Training & Certification:
Suppose you are currently studying ITIL V3 Foundation training & certification. In that case, it may not be beneficial to take the exam at this point because your certification will become obsolete in 2022, when ITIL V4 is released. Although you may have satisfied the ITIL Foundation requirement, it’s always better to get fresh knowledge through an updated course if possible.
ITIL V3 Terms & Conditions Updates:
Regardless of when their certification was achieved, all ITIL Certification holders will be subject to the same terms and restrictions. In addition to the terms and restrictions, you must re-register every four years if you took your ITIL Foundation test after March 19, 2013. If you do not meet this criteria, you will be in violation of their terms and conditions. Furthermore, your certification will be cancelled if you do not register within one year of your qualifying date.
For example, if I took my ITIL Foundation test on March 20, 2013 and did not register for a new exam by March 19, 2017, my ITIL Certification would be cancelled according to their terms and conditions. I have no control over this since registration is only available online, and I won’t be able to take another exam until 2022.
ITIL V4 Courses:
Attending an ITIL V4 Foundation course/certification will give you a head start in your career by allowing you to use the most recent version of ITIL. The new course emphasises benefits, service strategy, and continuous service improvement.
An ITIL V4 certification is the most relevant qualification to get at the current moment, especially if you want to shift careers in the field of ITSM. The most recent version of ITIL will be what businesses most recognise and invest in, therefore having a current certification will make you far more competitive in the workforce.
ITIL V3 & V4:
Assume you already have your ITIL Foundation certification and want to advance to the Practitioner level. In that situation, taking both examinations (V3 and V4) may not be advantageous until version 5 of the exams is released. The difference in cost between the two certificates is around $100 USD, which would be a worthwhile investment if you want to continue in the ITIL sector.
The alternative option is to finish your Practitioner certification and then take the Foundation test in version 4 around 2022 to ensure that your certification is valid for as long as feasible. If you do not intend to pursue any other credentials, I recommend finishing your V3 Practitioner by the end of 2019 to guarantee that your certification is up to date. It would be in your best interests. It is in your best interest to attend an ITIL V4 training session followed by the test to acquire a sense of the changes coming with the Foundation papers version 5.
Conclusion
To summarise, if you are interested in ITIL certifications, now is the time to begin attending Sprintzeal training classes and taking the exam(s) as soon as possible to guarantee that your certification is valid till 2022. Just keep a watch out for the formal publication of Version 5 of the documents, which is expected to be released next year. Furthermore, if you currently have an ITIL Foundation certification and intend to stay in the IT business for some time, upgrading to an ITIL Practitioner after earning the foundations would be a wise investment.